Most Expensive Yacht in the World at an Incredible $1.2 Billion M/Y Eclipse

The 70-acre estate rises behind Governor beach in the lush, wealthy Caribbean playground of St. Bart's. Balinese bungalows with ocean views, tennis courts, swimming pools and music and dining pavilions dot the property.

Now, it's the latest home of Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich, a person close to the deal has told the Journal. With its nearly $90 million sale price, the property is one of the most expensive private homes ever sold, but for the oligarch it will be just one of many spectacular possessions, which also include the world's largest privately owned yacht, a Colorado ski estate, England's Chelsea soccer team and a contemporary art collection valued at more than $100 million.

Laurent Benoit
The 70-acre estate in St. Bart’s
The seller of the Governor Bay property was Jeet Singh, co-founder of Art Technology Group Inc., now known as ATG, the Cambridge, Mass., maker of Web software used by retailers including Tommy Hilfiger and Best Buy. Mr. Singh, 46 years old, had been living on St. Bart's part-time since he left ATG in 2002 until this year, when he moved to Paris. "It was just sort of time to go," says Mr. Singh, who says he bought the estate in 2000 and "didn't lose too much" on the deal. The estate was a gathering place for his friends and family, he says, and his band, the Singhs, recorded their albums there.

A spokesman for Mr. Abramovich, age 42, declined to comment.

Brought up by relatives in Ukhta, northern Russia, after his parents died, Mr. Abramovich became an oil trader in the early 1990s and rose to become the billionaire owner of OAO Sibneft, Russia's fifth-largest oil company. His fortune increased when OAO Gazprom, the Russian state gas giant, bought Sibneft for $13.1 billion. He is one of a cluster of oligarchs who have become some of the world's biggest spenders, transforming London real estate, the global art market and yachting.

Mr. Abramovich's primary residence is in Moscow, but he also has homes in London, where he bought Chelsea Football Club in 2003. His London real estate is in some of the capital's ritziest neighborhoods—though he had to cede some of his prized possessions, such as a 420-acre West Sussex estate called Fyning Hill, to ex-wife Irina after their 2007 divorce.

Mr. Abramovich's latest project is to merge eight apartments into one huge home in Lowndes Square, Knightsbridge. With properties in the district sometimes selling for as much as £4,000 (about $6,600) a square foot, the house, once completed, could be worth as much as £120 million, some experts say. He also owns the Chateau de la Croë in Cap d'Antibes on the French Riviera. It's the former home of the exiled Duke of Windsor, who gave up the British crown in 1936.

The billionaire has planted his flag in the U.S., as well. Last year he bought two homes in Snowmass Village, Colo., paying $11.8 million last February for a 5,600-square-foot ski-in, ski-out house and, two months later, $36.4 million for a 200-acre ranch in Wildcat Ridge. The 14,300-square-foot house there, with 11 bedrooms, came with custom furniture, including a chair made of leather and mink. The seller was Leon Hirsch, the surgical-equipment tycoon who founded United States Surgical Corp.

"As far as a neighbor who's in absentia, I couldn't ask for a better neighbor," says philanthrophist Lois Pope, the widow of National Enquirer founder Generoso Pope Jr., who has lived on the property adjoining Mt. Abramovich's in Wildcat Ridge for nearly a decade. Mr. Abramovich spent only a few days over the Fourth of July weekend in the area this summer, she said.

Mr. Abramovich is a world-class consumer of expensive things. His fleet of yachts includes the 377-foot Pelorus and the 282-foot Ecstasea, which usually sail around the Mediterranean off the coasts France, Spain and Italy

The Most Expensive Shoes In The World

Stuart Weitzman shoe designer joined hands with jeweler Kwiat to make his dream of diamond shoes come true as Stilettos. With 1,420 well-cut Kwiat colorless diamonds set in platinum, the shoes cost an obscene amount of $500,000. At the 2007 Oscars, Anika Noni made all turn their eyes at her steps in “Diamond Dream” on the red carpet.

Most exspensive hotel

Villa Cupola suite in Westin Excelsior hotel, Rome. The price for one night’s stay here is $29,255. Prior to your arrival here, guests are asked about their floral preferences, cigars, and post-dinner relaxation. The suite contains Italian frescoes, windows made up of stained glass and a private kitchen. The suite’s wine bar contains about 150 varieties. The suite even has a library, a gymnasium, and Jacuzzi. You can even have the pleasure to watch movies in a private cinema, with 2,000 ft. of balcony space.

Most Expensive Colleges

The University of Richmond located in the city of Richmond and Henrico County, Virginia. With strength of 4,000 undergraduate and graduate students, this residential university consists of five private schools.

Bugatti Veyron

Most Expensive Cars in the World

Yours for ￡72,000, the world's most expensive toy car

The world's most expensive toy car has been unveiled - but it will set you back a staggering ￡72,000.The miniature motor is cast in 18-carat white gold and decked out in more than 2,700 blue diamonds.Underneath the fully working bonnet, the tiny engine is covered in black and white diamonds.The ￡72,000 toy car: Covered in diamonds and the most expeCreated by manufacturer Hot Wheels to mark the company's 40th anniversary, the car's tail lights are red rubies while the tyres are set with yet more diamonds.A spokesman from Mattel, who owns Hot Wheels, said: "This car is the most expensive toy car we have ever made."The valuable vehicle was unveiled by former Newlyweds star and singer Nick Lachey at the 105th American International Toy Fair.

THE WORLDS MOST EXPENSIVE DIAMOND BIKINI

This is the most expensive bikini in the world. It is consists of 150 carats of D-Flawless diamonds and worth about 30 million U.S. dollars. Designed by Susan Rosen, the bikini can best be worn only at beaches. True confession, its fall into the lingerie category is not justifiable as the fabric used for this bikini is a layer of pure diamonds and not a bit of clothe.
Man, I would take Molly Simms over that Bikini Any day..
What About you?
Anyhow, here is the story of Molly Sims and the 30 Mil Diamond Bikini:
One of the most popular magazines is the annual Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue. And, while many of the magazine's readers are probably less interested in the swimsuits than the models, this year’s issue includes one very unique swimsuit - a diamond bikini worth $30 million.
With 150 carats of D Flawless diamonds supplied by Steinmetz Diamonds, the two-piece, modeled by Molly Sims, is reportedly the most expensive item of diamond apparel ever made.
Designed by Susan Rosen, the bikini has a 51 carat pear shape diamond, a 30 carat emerald cut diamond, a pair of 15 carat rounds and a pair of 8 carat pear shape diamonds. The sparklers are set in rust resistant platinum.
This year’s swimsuit issue showcases 26 models, including tennis star Maria Sharapova and super model Heidi Klum, who is depicted wearing body paint instead of a real swimsuit.

THE MILLION DOLLAR CELLPHONE

How much would you pay for "the Bentley of cellphones"? $1,000? $10,000? Try a cool million bucks. This one-of-a-kind quad-band handset by Goldvish sports a blinding 120 carats worth of VVS-1 grade diamonds, according to designer Emmanuel Gueit, and as you would expect from a seven-figure phone, features such amenities as Bluetooth, a camera with 8x digital zoom, MP3 playback, FM radio, included 2GB memory card and an EDGE connection (though curiously no 3G option or WiFi -- it seems a million bucks is not what it used to be). For those of you not willing to drop such an obscene amount of money on a phone that even the designer likens to a boomerang, Goldvish also offers several other diamond-encrusted 18k gold models in your choice of rose, yellow, or white, starting at a much more reasonable $25,600.

Diamond-Wittelsbach

Diamond-owners rejoice—even in a recession, diamonds command a hefty price. In fact, the first half of 2008 saw a 32% increase in jewelry sales at Christie’s auction houses when compared to sales in the first six months of 2007. They saved the best for last, however, as the world’s most expensive diamond was sold in December of 2008.
The Wittelsbach is a 35.56-carat blue diamond mined in India. The historic diamond was chosen by King Philip IV of Spain as part of the dowry for his daughter, the Infanta Margarita Teresa. Her suitor, Leopold I, later became Holy Roman Emperor and passed the diamond on to his heirs after she died in 1673. When the Archduchess of Austria married Bavaria’s Crown Prince in 1722, the diamond became known as “Der Blaue Wittelsbacher” (The Blue Wittelsbach) after the Crown Prince’s family.
The world’s most expensive diamond sold for $24.3 million, beating a previous record of $16.5 million for a 100-carat diamond in 1995. While the Wittelsbach is the most expensive diamond ever sold at auction—and likely the most expensive diamond ever sold, period—the world-famous Hope diamond would no doubt put the Wittelsbach to shame were it ever sold.
This is the world’s most expensive diamond pendant.? It is a single diamond that is over 75 carats and was designed by Stefano Canturi.

A Blue Vivid

Perfection is to be found in this stone: a blue diamond sold at $7.98 million, establishing a new record as the most expensive gemstone per carat bought at auction. The buyer is Moussaieff Jewellers of London, a specialist in rare stones and the stone was sold by a private Asian collector at a Sotheby's auction in Hong Kong.
The 8 minute bidding for the emerald-cut 6.04 carat diamond resulted in its sale for $1.32 million per carat, far higher than the previous record of $926,000 per carat, set by a red emerald-cut diamond, Hancock Red, sold in New York two decades ago.
A carat means 0.2 g. The world's biggest blue diamond is the 45.52-carat Hope Diamond. Still, this is the biggest and rarest vivid blue diamond on offer since Sotheby's Hong Kong auction in 2004, when a similar stone was sold for $ 4.2 million. The rare, vivid blue color of the diamond is said to be induced by the presence of an element called boron in its crystal structure.
"The bidding was fast and furious and you know it's not as if one could go out and buy another one," said Quek Chin Yeow, head of Jewellery Asia at Sotheby's.
"It's as rare as getting a Renoir or a wonderful Rothko. When you look at the stone, it sings. The blue sings. The cutting is wonderful. It has just got such beauty and I mean the fact that it's flawless, it's just an amazing " he said.
The demand for colored diamonds among jewellery collectors is high in Europe, the United States and Asia and blue diamonds come mainly from the Premier Mine in South Africa.
The total sale in Hong Kong's Monday auction was estimated at $ 40.8 million.

Garrard’s Heart of the Kingdom Ruby – $14 million

The most expensive necklace in the world features a 40.63-carat, heart-shaped Burmese ruby surrounded by 155 carats of diamonds. Burmese ruby is one of the most sought after varieties of ruby due to its blood-red hue. This gem is particularly valuable due to its extraordinary size—Burmese rubies rarely exceed a few carats!
The most expensive necklace can also be worn as a tiara.

Neil Lane’s Diamond Necklace – $4 million

The 140 carats of diamonds featured on this valuable necklace feature three different cuts—pear, cushion and teardrop. The diamonds are set in platinum along the six strings that make up this necklace.

The De Beers’ Marie-Antionette Necklace – $3.7 million

From the De Beers High-Jewellery collection, this luxurious necklace features over 181 carats of mixed cut diamonds. Beneath the deep pink diamond (1.84 carats) on the first string are two yellow diamonds (5.24 and 7.06) along the second and third strings. The 8.05 carat pear-shaped white diamond hanging from the fourth string, though, is the showstopper on this beautiful piece of jewelry.

H. Stern’s Venus Necklace – $3.17 million

This 110-carat diamond necklace features a number of cushion, square and pear-cut diamonds set in 18k noble gold. Even the clasp is exquisite, featuring a 14-point diamond star. This is truly a piece that looks just as good from behind as it does from the front.